At that time Jesus said,“ I praise you, Father. You are Lord of heaven and earth. You have hidden these things from wise and educated people. But you have shown them to little children.

那时，耶稣说：“父啊，天地的主，我感谢你！因为你将这些事向聪明通达人就藏起来，向婴孩就显出来。

那时，耶稣说：“父啊，天地的主，我感谢你！因为你把这些事向聪明智慧的人隐藏起来，而向婴孩启示出来。

那时，耶稣说：“父啊，天地的主，我感谢你！因为你把这些事向聪明智慧的人隐藏起来，而向婴孩启示出来。

那时，耶稣说：“父啊，天地的主，我颂赞你，因为你把这些事向聪明、有学问的人隐藏起来，却启示给像孩童一般的人。

就在那时候，耶稣说：“父啊，天地的主，我赞美你，因为你把这些事向智慧和聪明的人隐藏起来，却向婴孩显明。

那时候，耶稣说：“父啊，天地的主，我赞美你，因为你把这些事向有智慧的和有学问的人隐藏起来，而向小孩子们显明出来。

那時，耶穌說：「父啊，天地的主，我感謝你！因為你將這些事向聰明通達人就藏起來，向嬰孩就顯出來。

那時，耶穌說：「父啊，天地的主，我感謝你！因為你把這些事向聰明智慧的人隱藏起來，而向嬰孩啟示出來。

那時，耶穌說：「父啊，天地的主，我感謝你！因為你把這些事向聰明智慧的人隱藏起來，而向嬰孩啟示出來。

那時，耶穌說：「父啊，天地的主，我頌讚你，因為你把這些事向聰明、有學問的人隱藏起來，卻啟示給像孩童一般的人。

就在那時候，耶穌說：“父啊，天地的主，我讚美你，因為你把這些事向智慧和聰明的人隱藏起來，卻向嬰孩顯明。

當那些時候，耶穌應時地說：『父啊，天地的主啊，我稱謝你，因為你將這些事向智慧通達的人隱藏起來，向嬰孩卻啓示了。

那時候，耶穌說：「父啊，天地的主，我讚美你，因為你把這些事向有智慧的和有學問的人隱藏起來，而向小孩子們顯明出來。

耶穌又曰、父乎、天地主也、我讚爾、以此事、於智者達者則隱之、於赤子則顯之、

既而曰、父乎、天地主也、我讚爾、以此道、於智賢則隱之、於赤子則顯之、

當時耶穌曰、父歟、天地之主、我讚爾、因爾藏斯道於知者達者、而顯之於赤子、

爾時耶穌又言曰：『頌揚聖父、天地真主！蓋爾隱此道於智巧之人、而啟之於赤子；

At that time Jesus said,“ I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

At that time Jesus declared,“ I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;

At that time Jesus prayed this prayer:“ O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike.

At that time Jesus said,“ I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants.

At that time Jesus said,“ I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to infants.

At that time Jesus answered and said,“ I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.

At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes:

At that time Jesus said,“ I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to infants.

At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

At that time Jesus said,“ I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to little children.

At that time, Jesus answered,“ I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to infants.

Jesus replied,“ Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! No mere human showed this to you. My Father in heaven showed it to you.

“ Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.“ Yes,” replied Jesus.“ Haven’t you ever read about it in Scripture? It says,“‘ Lord, you have made sure that children and infants praise you.’ ”( Psalm 8:2)

You have made sure that children and infants praise you. Their praise is a wall that stops the talk of your enemies.

At that time Jesus was full of joy through the Holy Spirit. He said,“ I praise you, Father. You are Lord of heaven and earth. You have hidden these things from wise and educated people. But you have shown them to little children. Yes, Father. This is what you wanted to do.“ My Father has given all things to me. The Father is the only one who knows who the Son is. And the only ones who know the Father are the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to make the Father known.”Then Jesus turned to his disciples. He said to them in private,“ Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.I tell you, many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see. But they didn’t see it. They wanted to hear what you hear. But they didn’t hear it.”

“ He is the God who made the world. He also made everything in it. He is the Lord of heaven and earth. He doesn’t live in temples built by human hands.

It is written,“ God made it hard for them to understand. He gave them eyes that could not see. He gave them ears that could not hear. And they are still like that today.”( Deuteronomy 29:4; Isaiah 29:10)David says,“ Let their feast be a trap and a snare. Let them trip and fall. Let them get what’s coming to them.Let their eyes grow dark so they can’t see. Let their backs be bent forever.”( Psalm 69:22, 23)

But their minds were made stubborn. To this day, the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. The veil has not been removed. Only faith in Christ can take it away.

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up. He said,“ Father, I thank you for hearing me.

Jesus said,“ I have come into this world to judge it. I have come so that people who are blind will see. I have come so that people who can see will become blind.”Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this. They asked,“ What? Are we blind too?”Jesus said,“ If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, you remain guilty.

Later Jesus was alone. The 12 disciples asked him about the stories. So did the others around him.He told them,“ The secret of God’s kingdom has been given to you. But to outsiders everything is told using stories.In that way,“‘ They will see but never know what they are seeing. They will hear but never understand. Otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’ ”( Isaiah 6:9, 10)

The message of the cross seems foolish to those who are lost and dying. But it is God’s power to us who are being saved.It is written,“ I will destroy the wisdom of those who are wise. I will do away with the cleverness of those who think they are so smart.”( Isaiah 29:14)Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where are the great thinkers of our time? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish?God wisely planned that the world would not know him through its own wisdom. It pleased God to use the foolish things we preach to save those who believe.Jews require signs. Greeks look for wisdom.But we preach about Christ and his death on the cross. That is very hard for Jews to accept. And everyone else thinks it’s foolish.But there are those God has chosen, both Jews and Greeks. To them Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom.The foolish things of God are wiser than human wisdom. The weakness of God is stronger than human strength.Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when God chose you. Not many of you were considered wise by human standards. Not many of you were powerful. Not many of you belonged to important families.But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.God chose the things of this world that are common and looked down on. God chose things considered unimportant to do away with things considered important.So no one can boast to God.

The words we speak to those who have grown in the faith are wise. Our words are different from the wisdom of this world. Our words are different from those of the rulers of this world. These rulers are becoming less and less powerful.No, we announce God’s wisdom. His wisdom is a mystery that has been hidden. But before time began, God planned that his wisdom would bring us heavenly glory.None of the rulers of this world understood God’s wisdom. If they had, they would not have nailed the Lord of glory to the cross.

God of my people of long ago, I thank and praise you. You have given me wisdom and power. You have made known to me what we asked you for. You have shown us the king’s dream.”

This happened as Isaiah the prophet had said it would. He had said,“ Lord, who has believed what we’ve been saying? Who has seen the Lord’s saving power?”( Isaiah 53:1)For this reason, they could not believe. As Isaiah says in another place,“ The Lord has blinded their eyes. He has closed their minds. So they can’t see with their eyes. They can’t understand with their minds. They can’t turn to the Lord. If they could, he would heal them.”( Isaiah 6:10)

At that time those who can’t hear will hear what is read from the scroll. Those who are blind will come out of gloom and darkness. They will be able to see.Those who aren’t proud will once again find their joy in the Lord. And those who are in need will find their joy in the Holy One of Israel.

He replied,“ Because you have been given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. It has not been given to outsiders.Everyone who has this kind of knowledge will be given more knowledge. In fact, they will have very much. If anyone doesn’t have this kind of knowledge, even what little they have will be taken away from them.Here is why I use stories when I speak to the people. I say,“ They look, but they don’t really see. They listen, but they don’t really hear or understand.In them the words of the prophet Isaiah come true. He said,“‘ You will hear but never understand. You will see but never know what you are seeing.The hearts of these people have become stubborn. They can barely hear with their ears. They have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes. They might hear with their ears. They might understand with their hearts. They might turn to the Lord, and then he would heal them.’( Isaiah 6:9, 10)But blessed are your eyes because they see. And blessed are your ears because they hear.

“ Before I formed you in your mother’s body I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart to serve me. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”“ You are my Lord and King,” I said.“ I don’t know how to speak. I’m too young.”But the Lord said to me,“ Do not say,‘ I’m too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to. You must say everything I command you to say.Do not be afraid of the people I send you to. I am with you. I will save you,” announces the Lord.

Jesus said,“ What I’m about to tell you is true. You need to change and become like little children. If you don’t, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.Anyone who takes the humble position of this child is the most important in the kingdom of heaven.

He said,“ Father, if you are willing, take this cup of suffering away from me. But do what you want, not what I want.”

The Lord says,“ Heaven is my throne. The earth is under my control. So how could you ever build a house for me? Where would my resting place be?

The Lord has made you fall into a deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets. He has covered the heads of your seers so they can’t see.For you, this whole vision is like words that are sealed up in a scroll. Suppose you give it to someone who can read. And suppose you say,“ Please read this for us.” Then they’ll answer,“ I can’t. It’s sealed up.”Or suppose you give the scroll to someone who can’t read. And suppose you say,“ Please read this for us.” Then they’ll answer,“ I don’t know how to read.”The Lord says,“ These people worship me only with their words. They honor me by what they say. But their hearts are far away from me. Their worship doesn’t mean anything to me. They teach nothing but human rules that they have been taught.So once more I will shock these people with many wonderful acts. I will destroy the wisdom of those who think they are so wise. I will do away with the cleverness of those who think they are so smart.”

When Jesus saw this, he was angry. He said to his disciples,“ Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away. God’s kingdom belongs to people like them.What I’m about to tell you is true. Anyone who will not receive God’s kingdom like a little child will never enter it.”Then he took the children in his arms. He placed his hands on them to bless them.

The heavens belong to the Lord your God. Even the highest heavens belong to him. He owns the earth and everything in it.But the Lord loved your people of long ago very much. You are their children. And he chose you above all the other nations. His love and his promise remain with you to this very day.

The Lord called out to Samuel. Samuel answered,“ Here I am.”He ran over to Eli and said,“ Here I am. You called out to me.” But Eli said,“ I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.Again the Lord called out,“ Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli. He said,“ Here I am. You called out to me.”“ My son,” Eli said,“ I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.”Samuel didn’t know the Lord yet. That’s because the Lord still hadn’t given him a message.The Lord called out for the third time. He said,“ Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli. He said,“ Here I am. You called out to me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy.So Eli told Samuel,“ Go and lie down. If someone calls out to you again, say,‘ Speak, Lord. I’m listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.The Lord came and stood there. He called out, just as he had done the other times. He said,“ Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel replied,“ Speak. I’m listening.”The Lord said to Samuel,“ Pay attention! I am about to do something terrible in Israel. It will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.At that time I will do everything to Eli and his family that I said I would. I will finish what I have started.I told Eli I would punish his family forever. He knew his sons were sinning. He knew they were saying bad things about me. In spite of that, he did not stop them.So I made a promise to the family of Eli. I said,‘ The sins of Eli’s family will never be paid for by bringing sacrifices or offerings.’ ”Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the Lord’ s house. He was afraid to tell Eli about the vision he had received.But Eli called out to him. He said,“ Samuel, my son.” Samuel answered,“ Here I am.”“ What did the Lord say to you?” Eli asked.“ Don’t hide from me anything he told you. If you do, may God punish you greatly.”So Samuel told him everything. He didn’t hide anything from him. Then Eli said,“ He is the Lord. Let him do what he thinks is best.”As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him. He made everything Samuel said come true.So all the Israelites recognized that Samuel really was a prophet of the Lord. Everyone from Dan all the way to Beersheba knew it.The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh. There he made himself known to Samuel through the messages he gave him.

Brothers and sisters, we should always thank God for you. The Lord loves you. That’s because God chose you as the first to be saved. Salvation comes through the Holy Spirit’s work. He makes people holy. It also comes through believing the truth.He chose you to be saved by accepting the good news that we preach. And you will share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How terrible it will be for those who think they are wise! How terrible for those who think they are really clever!

Suppose our good news is covered with a veil. Then it is veiled to those who are dying.The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They can’t see the light of the good news that makes Christ’s glory clear. Christ is the likeness of God.The message we preach is not about ourselves. Our message is about Jesus Christ. We say that he is Lord. And we say that we serve you because of Jesus.God said,“ Let light shine out of darkness.”( Genesis 1:3) He made his light shine in our hearts. His light gives us the light to know God’s glory. His glory is shown in the face of Christ.

He considers all the nations on earth to be nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven. He does what he wants with the nations of the earth. No one can hold back his hand. No one can say to him,“ What have you done?”

Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. He said,“ Lord, you are the God of Israel. You sit on your throne between the cherubim. You alone are God over all the kingdoms on earth. You have made heaven and earth.

But Abram said to the king of Sodom,“ I have raised my hand to make a promise to the Lord. He is the Most High God. He is the Creator of heaven and earth.

He gave a blessing to Abram. He said,“ May the Most High God bless Abram. May the Creator of heaven and earth bless him.

Our God, we give you thanks. We praise your glorious name.

“ Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in him?No! But this mob knows nothing about the law. There is a curse on them.”

But the boy Samuel served the Lord. He wore a sacred linen apron.

Don’t fool yourselves. Suppose some of you think you are wise by the standards of the world. Then you should become“ fools” so that you can become wise.The wisdom of this world is foolish in God’s eyes. It is written,“ God catches wise people in their own evil plans.”( Job 5:13)It is also written,“ The Lord knows that the thoughts of wise people don’t amount to anything.”( Psalm 94:11)